Moral ideal, the weapon of forgiveness
Original Marathi from the Tukaram Gatha · About Sant Tukaram
मराठी मूळ
क्षमाशस्त्र जया नराचिया हातीं । दुष्ट तयाप्रति काय करी ॥1॥
तृण नाहीं तेथें पडे दावािग्न । जाय तो विझोनि आपसया ॥2॥
तुका ह्मणे क्षमा सर्वांचें स्वहित । धरा अखंडित सुखरूप ॥3॥
Tukaram Gatha (Marathi Wikisource)
English Translation
What can the wicked do to the one who holds the weapon of forgiveness in hand? Where there is no grass, a wildfire dies out on its own. Says Tuka, forgiveness is the true welfare of all. Hold it steadfast and dwell in bliss.
We ask forgiveness for any inaccuracies in rendering Tukaram ji’s original Marathi.
In Plain Words
What can the wicked do to the one who holds the weapon of forgiveness in hand? Where there is no grass, a wildfire falls and dies out on its own. Tuka says: forgiveness is the true good of all. Hold it without a break, and live in joy.
What it means
Tukaram reframes forgiveness as power, not weakness. The person who carries forgiveness like a weapon gives the malicious nothing to strike; their attack finds no purchase and fails. He pictures it as a wildfire reaching bare ground: with no grass to catch, the flame simply goes out by itself. Anger and insult are the dry grass that lets harm spread, and forgiveness starves them. So he counsels holding forgiveness unbroken as the real welfare of everyone, the steady ground of a life at peace.
The Moral Ideal
Purity, sincerity, truthfulness, humility, peacefulness, and service.
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